Two gunmen trade fire near Ohio's Old West End Festival, wounding 12 people aged 14 to 61

What happened

A little after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, shots rang out near the Old West End Festival in Toledo's historic district, an annual two-day event of live music, food vendors, and architectural home tours. Police were dispatched at 5:37 p.m. following a report of a person shot. Officers arrived to find multiple gunshot victims and launched a large emergency response to transport the wounded to nearby hospitals.

Video posted online showed attendees scrambling for cover, ducking behind cars, and fleeing food stalls as gunfire erupted. Later footage captured a young man walking down a street lined with Victorian homes, blood darkening his white shirt, before sitting down as bystanders called for help.

The victims

Twelve people were wounded, with ages ranging from 14 to 61. Most victims were in their early twenties, according to police. Two of the injured remained in critical condition as of Sunday morning. No update on their status was provided later in the day.

I've been to a lot of scenes, but this is way over the top.

The suspects

Authorities believe at least two shooters were involved and were likely firing at each other. Deputy Chief Joseph Heffernan said the two men "probably" exchanged gunfire. As of Sunday, no suspects were in custody and a search continued into its second day. Investigators were interviewing multiple people and reviewing camera footage. George Kral, Toledo's director of public safety, made a public plea for cell phone video that could help identify the suspects.

I know there is information out there. Please help us help you.

The festival and its cancellation

Several hundred people were at the festival when the shooting occurred. Organizers canceled the remainder of the two-day event, writing on social media that it would not be "compassionate, responsible or possible to continue." The Old West End Festival is set in the largest collection of Victorian, Edwardian, and Arts and Craft homes in the United States and serves as the kickoff to Ohio's summer festival season.

Too often we turn on the news and learn of a celebration somewhere that turns into a tragedy. Now, that news comes from our own neighborhood.

Official reactions

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called the shooting a senseless crime, writing on X that summer festivals should be safe spaces for families. U.S. Senator Jon Husted also condemned the violence and thanked law enforcement for their quick response. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, who was in Spain visiting Toledo's sister city for the Corpus Christi procession, said his city would overcome the tragedy through unity but added that such events happen too often across the country.

What happened today at the Old West End Festival has sadly happened in too many American cities. But we should never shrug our shoulders and accept it as the price of living in a free society.

Broader context

Not including the Toledo incident, the Gun Violence Archive has recorded 171 mass shootings in the United States this year, defining a mass shooting as an incident with at least four people injured by gunfire, excluding the shooter. Authorities noted that extra police officers had been assigned to the festival and a large number of off-duty officers were working the event itself.